Microsoft will build three data centers in Amsterdam after a ban was imposed on building hyperscale data centers.
Amsterdam will be the new location of three new Microsoft data centers. These are three towers of 85 meters high that together consume as much power as a city like Leuven.
Transparency of Microsoft
Microsoft says in NRC that it is committed to “carefully integrating data centers into the environment, with high standards in the field of energy efficiency and an open and transparent dialogue with local stakeholders.” Furthermore, Microsoft says that it “normally does not share anything about commercial contracts, but in this case it recognizes the public interest.”
In Europe, the construction of enormous data centers is a hot topic, because they place high demands on the power grid, which is already overloaded in some places. In addition, more and more European countries are taking a critical stance on American dominance in data management.
Ban circumvented
In the Netherlands, newly built data centers must meet specific requirements since 2022, and there is actually a ban on building for hyperscalers. If the data center consumes more than 70MW and is larger than ten hectares, it cannot be built. Microsoft is therefore building three high towers, so they do not take up more than 10 hectares. Each tower consumes 26MW, making a total of 78MW.
“From a legal point of view, these individual data centers do not meet the criteria for a hyperscaler in terms of built-up floor area and connection capacity,” according to the province of North Holland.